1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an electronic component comprising a graphene layer and to a method of producing an electronic component comprising a graphene layer. The invention also relates to an electronic device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An electronic component is typically fabricated using semiconductor materials and is hereinafter is also referred to as a semiconductor component with the same meaning.
Graphene is a 2D crystal of sp2-bonded carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice. In general, layered stacks of graphene form common graphite, but films with only few carbon layers have to be considered as different type of 2D crystals or “graphene”. One of the outstanding properties of graphene, particularly with one or two layers, is a high charge carrier mobility, which could be employed to revolutionize high-frequency microelectronics. Other potential applications include optoelectronics and chemical sensors.
Graphene can be exfoliated from graphite, grown on a metal substrate and transferred to the target wafer or grown epitaxially on silicon carbide (SiC). Even though the two latter schemes have potential for mass production, there are severe technological shortcomings. Growth on metal requires subsequent mechanical transfer onto desired substrates and hence is not necessarily compatible with existing silicon processing technology. In addition, it raises environmental concerns, because a sacrificial metal film must be chemically dissolved, and the used chemicals—eventually disposed of. SiC wafers are limited in size and are quite expensive, and while it is possible to grow graphene epitaxially from SiC seeds deposited on Si, the required temperatures for either option are beyond typical silicon processes (>1000° C.).
Graphene deposition using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) can meet stringent silicon technology requirements, but PECVD films grown on insulators are so far either thick (thicker than six carbon layers), strongly distorted, or do not grow parallel to the substrate.